Hide and Seek
by klarolineepiclove
Summary: A drabble: In which, after the Tyler/Klaus body switching incident, Caroline finally gives Klaus a chance. Now weeks later, she's ready for the next step.


_Thought I'd try my hand at a drabble. I love Klaroline._

_Drabble: After the Tyler/Klaus body switching incident, Caroline finally gives Klaus a chance. Now weeks later, she's ready for the next step._

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It had been 6 weeks since she'd said goodbye to Tyler.

4 weeks since Elena had slammed the door in her face, questioning their friendship and her sanity.

It had been less than 2 weeks since Damon had told her she was as good as dead.

But Caroline wouldn't trade those weeks for anything.

She'd been furious when the truth had come out, certainly. Learning that the nights she had spent sitting with Tyler, kissing Tyler, falling in love with Tyler all over again were nights not spent with him at all had shaken her to her core. She had poured her heart out to KLAUS of all people. Klaus, the hybrid monster that had ruined her life—her friends' lives. The man who had killed her boyfriend, killed Elena, Jenna, turned Stefan into the Ripper. The man who had disrupted everything that made sense in her undead life. She had felt sick when the truth finally came out. When bodies had been righted and truces had been made—albeit reluctantly, but necessary nonetheless—Caroline could barely look at herself, let alone HIM. Either of them, really.

She'd tried to go back to the way things were. Ignoring Klaus and his Original siblings, going to school, hanging with friends, spending nearly every moment with Tyler. But, no matter how hard she had tried, she couldn't put her moments with Klaus out of her mind. Despite it being done through deceit, she had gotten to see the parts of him he kept closely guarded. And as much as she tried to fight it, she knew that deep down, she wanted to know more. Even if she couldn't admit it to herself, Tyler could.

He couldn't handle it, he'd told her. Knowing that when she was with him, she was thinking of Klaus. Comparing the two of them. Fighting with her feelings. So he'd left. Just like he always did when things got tough.

Which, she supposed, was how she ended up here, in the Mikaelson Manor, with Klaus' hand gently pressing against her lower back as he followed her down the entryway. The feel of his touch beneath the fabric of her dress sent shivers down her spine.

She'd finally given in. She'd decided to take him up on his "dare," as he'd called it, all those nights ago outside the Grille. She'd gotten to know him, and allowed him to get to know her. And through the last six weeks, Caroline realized that she falling for him.

Big time.

Spinning slightly on her heel, she turned to face him, her face breaking into the constant smile that always appeared when she was with him. He stood a few inches away from her, never too close but never far away, either. She didn't miss the way his hand stretched just a little further across her back to make up for her change in position. It still thrilled her that he always seemed to want to touch her, even in the simplest ways.

Klaus was smiling at her, that devilish little smile that would have her heart racing if it still beat in her chest. His head was tilted slightly to the side, his eyes intense as they bore into her own, and she could feel the effect down to her toes.

She laughed softly, tilting her head so her blonde curls spilled over her shoulders. "You know, my grandpa had a big house when I was a kid," she said, shrugging as she looked around the enormous room they were standing in. "Not THIS big, but to a five year-old it seemed gigantic. I used to stay with him on the weekends sometimes, and we would play hide-and-seek all through the house.

Klaus' lips twitched upwards as she talked, his eyes devouring every aspect of her face. It still amazed him that she was here with him. At his side. Never in another thousand years would he have ever imagined she would have taken him up on his offer. And yet here they were…

"Did he catch you?" he asked, taking a small step towards her, the hand on her back slowly traveling to her elbow before sliding down her arm, gently entangling his fingers with hers. As always, he was surprised when she didn't jerk away, instead letting her fingers wrap around his.

Caroline laughed, nodding. "Every time," she said, tilting her head so she could peer up at him. "I think I'd give him a run for his money now, though. Super speed, heightening senses…definite advantages, I would think." She smiled, looking up at him from under her lashes.

He smirked. "When compared to a frail old man, I'm certainly sure, love."

"He is still healthy and exuberant, I'll have you know," Caroline said, poking him square in the chest while arching an eyebrow coyly at him, the smile that was on his face sending chills through her bones. "And besides, I could outhide you during hide-and-seek, easily."

Klaus laughed. "Really?"

"Really," she reiterated, taking a small step towards him until their chests barely brushed. "Why, don't you believe me, Mr. Big Bad Hybrid?"

"Well, you are a baby vampire, Caroline," Klaus teased, grinning down at her. "I do believe you'll find the game to my advantage."

A slow smile spread across Caroline's face then, and he watched as she slowly raised herself on her tip toes, pressing her lips to his ear.

"So catch me if you can, Nik," she whispered, pressing a faint kiss to his cheek. And then, with a whoosh, she was gone.

Klaus stood there, his fingers still tingling from the feel of her touch, his mind reeling at the use of his nickname on her lips, and he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Shaking his head only once, he turned on his heel, and raced down the direction where he could still smell her intoxicating scent.

The predator in him relished this—the hunt. He could feel the thrill spreading through his body.

What did it matter if the end result wouldn't be what it normally was.

He faltered in his hunt when his eyes landed on a discarded item on the floor of the hall. Caroline's shoe. The same startlingly yellow shade that matched her dress perfectly. He slowed his steps, his lips tilting up the slightest bit when, just a few feet ahead, the other discarded shoe lay against the wall.

If his heart could beat, it would bursting from his chest at this moment.

He continued on, his eyes catching sight of a discarded sweater, a bracelet, the jeweled hair clip that had partially tied her long blonde hair back all night. He came to a dead stop when he saw her dress—that lovely, yellow dress that had driven him MAD all evening—lying in a pile just outside a partially closed door.

HIS partially closed door.

He took a deep breath—yes, Klaus, the almighty Hybrid, suddenly besieged by nerves of all things—and slowly pushed open the door, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness within, and his gaze quickly landed on the girl sitting on his bed.

She was wearing one of his shirts. Beautiful, beautiful Caroline, with her blonde curls cascading over her shoulders as she sat on her knees, her hands clutched together in her lap as she looked up at him with a small, uneasy smile on her face. Caroline, his light in an otherwise pitch dark world, who was looking at him as if she was honestly unsure of his desire for her.

With strong, purposeful strides, he slowly crossed the room, his eyes never once leaving her face until he reached the edge of the bed. He reached out, gently brushing his fingers against her flawless cheek, his lips turning up into a pleased smile when her eyes drifted shot at the contact. His other hand snaked around her waist, gently tugging her onto her knees as he cupped the back of her neck, tilting her face up until their lips gently brushed against each other. Her fingers were burying themselves into his blonde curls, and he could feel her breath quicken against his lips. "Found you," he whispered, feeling her lips turn upwards against his own as he braced a knee on the edge of the bed, slowly lowering her onto the mattress, conscious of the way her legs braced themselves against his hips.

His lips trailed down her neck as his hands moved to her hips, the utter feeling of finally being complete nearly overwhelming him.

He heard her giggle softly as he peppered her neck with kisses, and he felt her hands clutch strongly to his broad shoulders as she raised her lips to his ear.

"I let you win."

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End file.
